The Navy has temporarily waived contracting policies to allow its research and development centers to award sole-source contracts worth up to $93 million without approval from a higher-level contracting activity, according to the Pentagon's research chief.

The Pentagon, beset by congressional opposition and industry outcry, is backing off a controversial proposal that would have reduced defense contractor progress payments, according to a statement from Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan.

Defense Department organizations concerned with the state of their contractors' cybersecurity are assessing whether companies are meeting requirements for securing sensitive information on their networks.

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- Two L3 Technologies executives, both of whom joined the contractor this year, said the company's more integrated approach will open up opportunities, particularly in maritime work and in the international market.

The defense spending bill agreed to by conference negotiators limits how the Pentagon can spend its funding for cloud efforts, including the high-profile Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure initiative.

The head of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency says cost waivers granted to countries buying U.S. weapons are key to securing arms deals, as some lawmakers have questioned the practice of giving billions in discounts to rich Middle Eastern nations.

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord said today the Pentagon is working on new standards for the procurement of intellectual property, something she acknowledged has long been a "thorny" issue between the government and defense contractors.

The Defense Department maintains it will have multiple cloud computing providers in the future and is telling companies its cloud strategy "continues to evolve," as DOD prepares to respond to a protest against a potentially $10 billion solicitation.